The Los Angeles fires have created another problem — unsafe drinking water

Pressure drops, the other big contributor to pollution, occur when firefighting efforts pull massive amounts of water from the system in a short period. “The water line that connects to the house can generally pump about 9 gallons per minute,” Welton says. “Firefighters can pull 500 gallons or up to 1,500 gallons of water per minute. So, if you run five or six pumper trucks off the water line, you’re seeing thousands of gallons of water being extracted from the water system in a very short period.”

When this happens, water pressure drops, and the system becomes vulnerable to bacteria or chemicals entering the system from the surrounding environment. Normally, the high pressure of water within the system prevents any external contaminants – such as soil or groundwater – from finding their way inside the system components.

Structural damage from fires can also lead to pressure losses, Wilton says. In the case of large-scale fires like the Palisades or Eaton fires, you can have massive amounts of water flowing, out of control, out of the system, due to rupture of pipes and other parts of the system. Where there is damage, smoke and debris can be sucked into the water system, while damaged sewer lines can leak into drinking water pipes running nearby. “When water system utilities start trying to repressurize, they start pushing that contaminated water through the infrastructure again,” Wilton says.

During the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Colorado in 2021, which burned more than 1,000 homes, city officials advised residents to use only water mains for flushing until extensive testing confirmed safety. Kearns warns that given that more than 12,000 buildings had burned in Los Angeles as of Monday morning, the potential for widespread contamination is high.

The coming days and weeks will be crucial. Once water experts assess the damage, they will determine if the system can be cleaned or if infrastructure repairs are necessary. If enough fuel burns, workers will need to replace pumps, pipes and even tanks. For the parts of Los Angeles County served by LADWP, McCurry estimates that recovery could take anywhere from a few days to weeks.

However, Altadena and surrounding areas are served by several smaller water providers, e.g Lincoln Avenue Water Company, Las Flores Water Company, Rubio Cannon Land and Water Associationand Kinilwa Irrigation District— All issued no-drink notices. “With a large water system like LADWP, you’ll probably see things resume a little faster,” Kearns says. “For smaller water providers, who can sometimes only have two employees and do not have the budgets for this type of event, they may face some difficulties.” Santa Cruz faced similar challenges during CZU’s Lightning Complex fire in 2020, where water service took months to stabilize. McCurry warns that some areas may need years to build from scratch or repair large systems that have burned down.

Kearns says it’s essential for residents to stay informed of recovery efforts, because alert systems can be complex, and many residents may not receive them. She advises people to “proactively look for any boil or do not drink water advisories from your water provider, city, or county.” “Share it with your neighbors and make sure anyone who may have languages ​​other than English as a first language gets these alerts and understands what’s going on.”

Some places, like Louisville, Colorado, and Maui, Hawaii, released public access maps that tracked water quality on each parcel, helping to keep residents informed in the months and years that followed.

Before warnings can be lifted, water providers are legally required by the state of California to monitor benzene levels. However, Wilton warns that benzene is not the only chemical of concern and the list of potential contaminants is long. Government and third-party testing services do not always take into account all possible exposures. “It’s possible that some of these chemicals will remain for longer than water suppliers expect,” Macari says. He still recommends staying vigilant. Activated charcoal filters can help remove some organic contaminants, but they may not eliminate the risk completely.

“Safe water He can “It can be restored after a fire,” Wilton says. “The communities that recover quickly and strongly are those that work together and support each other.”